Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. Presents the Influence of the Brain/Spine Connection in Back Pain

05/05/2020

The brain and the spine. They’re connected. They’re connected more closely than any of us realize
as we go about our daily lives. Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. keeps this connection in
mind as we treat our Auburn back
pain sufferers’ spines and pay attention to their stories of
pain and ways of coping. Auburn chiropractic care at Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C.
respects the brain and spine connection and use gentle, safe
chiropractic services incorporating spinal manipulation to reduce
pain affecting both.

BRAIN CHANGES IN Auburn BACK PAIN

Pain changes the brain. A person in pain knows
it. Special tests today can reveal it. BOLD (blood oxygen level
dependent) responses were analyzed after stimulating lumbar spinous
processes with manipulation and demonstrated activity in the
secondary somatosensory cortex, cerebellum and other brain areas. (1) Motor cortex stimulation provokes a spinal
anti-inflammatory response to decrease pain. (2) Depression,
anxiety, cognitive deficits often accompany chronic
constriction of the sciatic nerve as a result of its effect
on the medial prefrontal cortex. (3)
Spinal manipulation may be a way to deal with the
brain changes in chronic pain and its related issues.

SHORT TERM STIMULATION’S EFFECT ON BRAIN

Stimulating the brain even for a short time may impact
the pain experience. A new study on Euclidean distance between
cortical sources and temporal dynamics of plastic changes in the somatosensory
cortex of the brain had even your Auburn chiropractor’s mind
spinning a bit! What a subject! Without having to understand
all these terms and measurements discussed in the study, know that
the study presented that the brain, even the adult brain, is malleable.
Sure, the young developing brain is most impressionable, but with the appropriate
input, the older, adult brain can transform. The researchers in
this study took measurements
before and after stimulation and compared them on MRI. They saw
a difference. More research needs to be done, but they did explain
that long term experience establishes cortical organization while
transient, new and different stimulation can trigger
cortical reorganization of the adult brain. Such changes have been discovered
in musicians, Braille readers, and persons after spinal manipulation and stroke
rehab. (4) This understanding of the brain
contributes to the Auburn chiropractic treatment
plan!

BRAIN CHANGES WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Just how is the chiropractic treatment plan affected
with such knowledge of the brain? Let’s start
by examining the brain with chronic pain. The two brain regions that encode the
intensity of painful stimuli and add to the overall
experience of chronic pain are the primary somatosensory cortex and posterior
insular cortex. (5)The cortex of the brain was discovered to be
thinner in chronic low back pain patients. After treatment, the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is thicker. To the researchers, this implied
that treating chronic pain may well reestablish normal
brain functions. (6) Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. care for Auburn back pain patients all day long. It is amazing to think
that treatment might modify more than just the pain response!

"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page."

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About Our Auburn chiropractic Practice

Our method at Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. centers on chiropractic wellness as well as alleviation of pain, especially spine pain and its related conditions. We administer in depth care for back pain, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, arm pain, leg pain, and injuries to the body from a car accident, sports injury or other cause. Our chiropractic practice respectfully serves the Auburn area. We pride ourselves on being patient-oriented and responsive to your needs be they about insurance filing or appointment making or your health and healing. We provide customized treatment plans to accommodate your specific needs. If you're in need of a chiropractor in the Auburn area, contact us today!